College of Arts & Sciences

Career Coaches in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) empower undergraduate students to navigate career exploration, identify ways to build experience through experiential learning opportunities, and find/apply for internships, jobs, or graduate school, including help with resumes, applications, interviewing, and more! Connect with us at cas.unl.edu/careers.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I became heavily involved in my national service organization. It allowed me to pursue leadership opportunities and network with members and alumni from other chapters across the country. After I graduated and worked for the organization’s headquarters full-time.

How did you become a career development professional?

I studied English and Magazine Journalism. My experiences in and after college had me interested in working with college students doing leadership development, which led me to a graduate program. While there I worked in career and academic advising roles and found both to be extremely valuable. When it was time to look for a job I focused my energy on those areas.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

I had a faculty member who taught my lab science course who was truly inspirational. When he saw an English and Journalism student on his roster, among all these other natural science majors, he asked me, “What made you choose this class?” I said, “I was just interested.” He smiled at me and said, “You have no idea how far that will take you. Just be interested.” It’s something I’ve carried with me for years and has helped fuel my curiosity, which as in turn opened up all kinds of opportunities I never could have predicted or imagined.

Pronouns: She/Her

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I started out in this country as an exchange student from Japan. During my undergraduate days, I gained experience by participating in the internship abroad program in London, UK. Also, I volunteered as a Teaching Assistant to all levels of Japanese courses.

How did you become a career development professional?

Becoming a career coach and working 1-on-1 with students has been my dream since I was an undergraduate exchange student. Early on, I was able to work as a career development professional in the reemployment programs at Nebraska Department of Labor, and provided support for job seekers in Nebraska. I then went into the world of human resources for several years, but I missed the joy in  providing customized 1-on-1 support for job seekers. As a career coach at UNL College of Arts and Sciences, I aim to provide personalized and comprehensive support for each student and their career development.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

Dr. Rhonda Sprague at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

Leadership and involvement! My favorite extracurricular was NHRI Leadership Mentoring which helped me learn to cultivate others’ leadership capabilities as well as my own. I also held two on-campus positions: one with the athletic department and one in the intramural office. I also had three separate internship experiences throughout my undergraduate journey.

How did you become a career development professional?

After finishing my master’s degree in education administration, I wanted to work directly with students. I love that career development has direct impact on student’s lives. I want to help students explore what makes them curious and help them to live that out.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

Dr. Helen Fagan in the ALEC department. She teaches Leadership in Diversity and I was able to be a Teacher’s Assistant for her. By working with her, I learned about developing cultural humility and how to be flexible in ambiguity. Check out her book! Becoming Inclusive: A Worthy Pursuit in Leadership

Pronouns: she/her

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

My student employment as a Campus Visit Coordinator allowed me to gain experience leading a team of peers as well as taking initiative on things like writing our department’s handbook. I also worked as a Residential Assistant, wrote a biweekly column for our campus newspaper, did a service trip at a mission in New Mexico, and spoke for student assemblies. The observation hours I completed while an Education major helped me decide to not continue pursuing education.

How did you become a career development professional?

After years of freelance writing and maintaining my own writing brand, I pursued a job using my personal growth interests and experience to coach students. I have been a Career Coach for the last three years and love geeking out on self-assessments and trends in career exploration and growth.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

When I was a student employee in my college’s enrollment office, our vice president saw my potential as a professional and empowered me to do my best work and take ownership of larger projects. He helped me learn to use my voice at work and to trust my instincts in areas I felt less confident (e.g., marketing). Even though I had a gap in working for him, he offered me a fulltime job after graduation, then years later hired me for freelance and consulting work and continues to be a professional reference on my resume.